Cultural policies and measures - Best practices

The Government of Canada supports DiverCiné: A World View of La Francophonie

The Government of Canada has announced it is to join forces with the Embassy of France for the sixth DiverCiné Film Festival: A World View of La Francophonie. The festival is an international showcase for film productions from a number of countries in La Francophonie, including Guinea, Benin, Morocco, Lebanon, Vietnam, Romania, France, and Canada.

On April 3, 2008, Sylvie Boucher, member of parliament (Beauport-Limoilou) and parliamentary secretary to the prime minister and the minister for status of women, on behalf of Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, along with France’s ambassador to Canada Daniel Jouanneau, announced the official launch of the sixth edition of DiverCiné: A World View of La Francophonie. This year DiverCiné will run from April 4 to 10 at the ByTowne Cinema in Ottawa, Canada.

“Cultural diversity is a valuable asset that must be celebrated and promoted. The Government of Canada has highlighted it internationally by acceding to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions,” said Minister Verner. “DiverCiné reflects the diversity that characterizes Canada and the Francophone world.”

“DiverCiné is a cultural event that is always eagerly awaited by Francophones and Francophiles in cities across Canada,” said Ms. Boucher. “In addition to celebrating the international Francophonie, the festival is a unique opportunity for Canadians to explore the works of Francophone filmmakers from around the world.”

“For us, DiverCiné is an expression of the identities, the imaginations, and the cultures of the Francophone world in all its diversity,” said Daniel Jouanneau, France’s ambassador to Canada. “This opening up of the Francophonie is part of a larger movement to promote and protect the diversity of cultural expressions. From North America to Europe, from Africa to the Middle East, and even in Southeast Asia, we have imagined, defended, and promoted this fair expression of the cultures of the world together. This sixth festival is both the result and the proof of this.”

The press release stresses that every year, as part of the celebrations marking the International Day of La Francophonie, the DiverCiné Film Festival presents original, high-quality, and award-winning productions that have been screened at major international festivals, but are rarely shown in Canadian cinemas. Films from various French-speaking countries will be shown in the National Capital region as well as Moncton, Halifax, Toronto, and Vancouver.